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Octavarium (album)
Octavarium is the eighth album by Dream Theater releaesd on June 7, 2005. The album completed the "meta-album" concept started with Scenes From a Memory and is known for it's expansive use of "nuggets"; musical and lyrical cues related to a central theme of numbers. The album is also known for it's title track, which is considered by many to be Dream Theater's best song. Personnel * Mike Portnoy - Drums, co-producer * John Petrucci - Drums, co-producer * John Myung - Bass * James LaBrie - Vocals * Jordan Rudess - Keyboards, continuum, lap steele guitar. Tracklist 1. The Root of All Evil (Portnoy) 8:25 2. The Answer Lies Within (Petrucci) 5:33 3. These Walls (Petrucci) 7:36 4. I Walk Beside You (Petrucci) 4:29 5. Panic Attack (Petrucci) 8:13 6. Never Enough (Portnoy) 6:46 7. Sacrificed Sons (LaBrie) 10:42 8. Octavarium (LaBrie, Petrucci, Portnoy) 24:00 Creation As opposed to it's predecessor, Train of Thought, Dream Theater went into the studio to write and record Octavarium without any pre-conceived concept for the album, leading it to be a more traditional style Dream Theater album at first glance. However during the process of writing the album, a concept did form revolving around the numbers eight and five. The numbers represent a section of a piano known as an Octave, which has eight white keys and five black keys. Eight and Five became represented in various ways throughout the music and artwork of the album (see below section) and also represents Dream Theater's eight albums and five members. The album also ends the "meta-album" concept started with Scenes from a Memory, as the album's lead-off track "The Root of All Evil" opens with the same note that ended "In The Name of God" on Train of Thought. The final song on the album, "Octavarium" originally ended with a flute flourish, however Portnoy felt this put too much pressure on the band to begin the next album the same way. A last-minute change had the song end with the beginning of "The Root of All Evil" which tied into the "full circle" theme of the album, as well as the last line of the song "This story ends where it begins". The band also worked with outside musicians again, bringing in a string quartet for the song "The Answer Lies Within" as well as a full orchestra for "Sacrificed Sons" and "Octavarium" Release The album was released successfully, initially charting higher than any previous Dream Theater album at #36. The album also got more promotional attention than any previous album other than Images and Words, perhaps due to it being the last album Dream Theater had on their contract with Atlantic Records. Fans speculated that the increased promotion may have been a ploy for Atlantic to retain Dream Theater, though it proved unsuccessful, as they eventually signed with Roadrunner Records. Unlike it's predecessor, the album was leaked onto the internet significantly before release, though Portnoy stated that the version leaked on the internet was not complete and would differ from the final product. The main difference seemed to be track times, as the tracks were cut differently due to incidentals on the album; and the ending of "Octavarium" being changed from a flute flourish to a reprised theme from the start of the album. Although no singles or videos were released for the album, Atlantic did release a radio single for "These Walls" with "Panic Attack" as the "B-side". The single got very little attention, though it did serve a purpose as a way for the fans to hear the songs early on. The tour in support of album was put off momentarily so the band could take part in Gigantour along with Megadeth, though they did introduce several Octavarium songs into their setlists. The world tour was very succcessful, with the band touring South America extensively for the first time. The final show on the tour at Radio City Music Hall, where the band was joined on stage with a full orchestra, was filmed and recorded for the eventual release of Score which was also released on DVD. Aside from ending the tour, the band also used the tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Reception Octavarium was released to almost overwhelmingly positive reivews, with both critics and fans calling it an instant classic. Much attention was given to the title track, which many fans considered to be the band's best song since A Change of Seasons. The band were praised for the album's strong central concept and use of "nuggets" which gave the album a lot of replayability. Also praised was the diversity of sounds on the album and the epic feel. Octavarium did, of course, have it's detractors, as some cited songs such as "These Walls" and "I Walk Beside You" to be too pop-oriented for their tastes. Some fans also criticized the concept, though without having any actual critisisms, instead choosing to attack other fans who sought enjoyment in finding the "nuggets. 5/8 Concept and nuggets Octavarium has a concept revolving around the numbers five and eight, which fans generally refer to as "5/8". Various references to 5/8 have been found in the album, though some are considered to be coincidental. Below is a list of the various 5/8 references. * Octavarium is the band's 8th album * Dream Theater has five members * The word "Octavarium" has five syllables, five consonants and five vowels. * Some fans have pointed out that Dream Theater has had 8 members tota. This ignores Chris Collins, as he was in the band when they were called "Majesty". However it also excludes Steve Stone and Chris Cintron, though they never appeared on any alubms. * At the time of Octavarium's release, the band had five official live albums: Live at the Marquee, Once in a LIVEtime, Live Scenes from New York and Live at Budokan * 1985 was the year the band formed (may be coincidental) * The initial festival tour to support the album took place in 8 countries (coincidental) * 5 out of the 8 songs were recorded using mike's 8th drumkit * The album's liner notes booklet has 8 pages * The album cover, when properly folded out, contains 8 newton balls and 5 birds. The placement of the balls and birds roughly coincides with the band's 8 albums and 5 live albums. * On the "dominos" portrait, one domino adds up to 8 and the other to 5. The three birds are assumed to represent three former members of Dream Theater, Dominici], Kevin Moore and Derek Sherinian. * The "maze" portrait has a spider (8 legs) inside an octagonal maze with five layers. The maze also has 8 doors and 8 dead ends. * The "underwater" portrait has an octopus (8 legs) and an octogonal stop sign. There are also 5 fish. * The "diagram" portrait has many 5/8 references, the most obvious being the 5-pointed star inside the Octagon and it being referred to as "diagram 5:8". There are many more subtle 5/8 references found here. * The "pool" portrait has a black ball, which is the 8-ball. * The back cover shows an octave, with 8 white keys and 5 black ones. The 8 songs are listed on the white keys and the 5 band members on the black keys. * There are 8 tracks and 5 incidentals, arranged in the exact way an octave on a piano is. Fans have found additional references, some extremely obscure, and some being considered to definitely be coincidental. Tone and Lyrics